Brain of a Violist -- the real chart!

March 25, 2016, 7:41 AM · Several weeks ago we created a Brain of a Violinist chart, in response to Classic FM's cute series of pie charts which, nonetheless, seemed a little off with the violinist pie chart. Looking at their chart for violists, I thought we could do better here, as well. Do violists really spend most of their brain power on resenting violinists and fending off viola jokes? I knew we had to dig deeper, so I picked the brains of several violists and came up with this chart:

What would you add to it? Many thanks to my viola consultants, Julie Bamberger, Carrie Salisbury, Scott Slapin and hubby Robert Niles (a former violist)!

March 25, 2016 at 05:00 PM · Paul, it was quite scientific, as you can well imagine. I asked several violists, "What is in your brain?" Being married to a former violist, I also had some ideas from him.

Not one said, "I wish I were a violinist!"

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March 25, 2016 at 07:00 PM · Another sliver might also be dedicated to "just say NO to fingered octaves!" Though Mr. Slapin would probably disagree with this one.

March 26, 2016 at 12:54 AM · I suggest another sliver for "Learning to read alto clef is a pain." I would also enlarge the "What is a viola?" sliver. I get so tired of explaining how a viola differs from a violin.

March 26, 2016 at 10:38 AM · 1. Is Smetana's "From My Life" really so much more obscure than the American Quartet?

2. A violin soloist, who sometimes plays viola in chamber music, when I mentioned the slow movement of the Schumann Piano Quintet, exclaimed "My favourite!" (No apologies for spelling - her schooling was in the UK).

3. "Parts of the Brahms ARE better on the viola than on the clarinet".

4. "Some violists can actually play the Paganini!"

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March 26, 2016 at 10:41 AM · Love the chart and would like to share it but not without the the missing 'to' in the final category; "I'm going (to) stuff this airline worker into my too-large case." Laurie, please correct this so I can share it. :-)

March 29, 2016 at 06:50 PM · Being a violist is... listening to someone playing those octaves in the Saint-Saëns cello concerto and feeling her pain.

And I'm definitely behind Karen Collins' remark: "All clef-switching must be justified!" Especially when playing a piece that switches clefs in one place, when the exact same passage is repeated later without a clef switch.